Asylum seekers: aftermath of the Christmas Island tragedy

On December 16th, a boat carrying around 90 asylum seekers was swept onto jagged rocks off the coast of the Australian island of Christmas Island – some 300 km out of Indonesia. We may never know exactly how many people were on board but it’s estimated around 50 died following the incident. The tragedy shocked Australians and pushed the thorny question of boat people back on the political agenda.